The life cycle of Guy Fieri’s celebrity has now entered its resuscitation phase: Comedian Shane Torres’ now-famous bit in which he defends the unabashedly lowbrow chef has kicked off a reconsideration of, if not Fieri’s goodness, at the very least his fundamental harmlessness. But if he keeps doing things like this, we’re going to have to admit he’s really a decent person, and not a pile of Pork Cracklins that came to life and disguised itself with items retrieved from the lost and found on Cabo San Lucas during spring break.
As local news affiliate ABC-7 reports, the TV host travelled to Redding, California this past weekend, where a deadly wildfire has forced 14,000 people to evacuate and has destroyed more than 700 homes, causing at least six deaths in the process. Fieri arrived to help the Salvation Army feed evacuees, organizing approximately 20 volunteers and setting up a makeshift kitchen to serve meals.
“We just did lunch for 750, and we are getting ready to do dinner for that same group right now, trying to keep the menu interesting,” Fieri told a reporter. “It is unbelievable to see what folks are going through, but also how great this community is…We are in tough times in the world, with all the things going on, and boy, you take a moment like this, and you really see what America’s made of, a lot of great people coming together.” Which is just the kind of perfectly kind statement that you can’t make fun of without seeming like a real jerk.
Fieri’s charitable actions mean we’ll now once again acknowledge that he does great things, despite dressing like The Hamburglar suffering a midlife crisis.